August Jakobson (2 September 1904 – 23 May 1963) was an Estonian writer and politician. He was one of the few Estonian playwright among his contemporaries whose plays were untouched by Soviet

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

and reached other Soviet states. He has been described as the leading

Stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...

in Soviet Estonian drama. In the 1960s his work was described as "ideologically militant".

Early life and education

Born Augustin Jakobson in

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...

, he was the son of Mihkel Jakobson (1874–1951) and Maria Jakobson (''née'' Moritson, 1876–1950). Jakobson graduated from school in 1926 in Pärnu, then studied economics at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

from 1926 to 1929 and medicine from 1931 to 1935. However, he left school without acquiring a formal degree. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, ''Vaeste-patuste alev'' (1927), won the first place award in a literary competition sponsored by the publishing house Loodus.

Career

He was the head of the

Estonian Writers' Union The Estonian Writers' Union (, abbr. EWU is a professional association of Estonian writers and literary critics.Marje Jõeste, Küllo Arjakas, ''The Baltic States'', Estonian Encyclopaedia Publishers, 1991, page 64 History The Estonian Writer ...

from 1939 to 1940 and again from 1944 to 1946 (then known as the Writers' Union of the Estonian SSR). From August 1940, Jakobson was a member of a Soviet censorship committee. From 1950 to 1958 he was the head of the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet () was the standing body of the highest organ of state power, highest body of state authority in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).The Presidium of the Soviet Union is, in short, the legislativ ...

of the

Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, (abbreviated Estonian SSR, Soviet Estonia, or simply Estonia ) was an administrative subunit (Republics of the Soviet Union, union republic) of the former Soviet Union (USSR), covering the Occupation o ...

. Near the

Endla Theatre Endla () is a professional theatre in city of Pärnu, Estonia. The roots of the theatre came from Endla Society. The theatre opened in 1911. The first performance was ''Libahunt'' (The Werewolf) by the Estonian writer August Kitzberg. The Es ...

in Pärnu stands a monument to Jakobson.

Awards and recognitions

*1950: Stalin Prize for literature *1951:

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

Bibliography

* ''Vaeste-patuste alev'' (1927) (novel) * "Elu tsitadellis" (1946) (play) * "Võitlus rindejooneta" (1947) (play)

References

* "Eesti kirjanduse ajalugu" part V, book 1.

Eesti Raamat Eesti Raamat (Eesti Raamat OÜ) is an Estonian publisher which is located in Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the s ...

, 1987. pp. 162–172. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jakobson, August 1904 births 1963 deaths People from Pärnu People from Kreis Pernau Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia Heads of state of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1947–1951 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1951–1955 First convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Third convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Fourth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Estonian male novelists 20th-century Estonian novelists Estonian dramatists and playwrights People's Writers of the Estonian SSR Recipients of the Stalin Prize Recipients of the Order of Lenin Burials at Metsakalmistu Soviet novelists

Early life and education

Career

Awards and recognitions

Bibliography

See also

References